Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 31.92
Liaison Tom Kovacs
Submission Date Sept. 30, 2022

STARS v2.2

Eastern Michigan University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.55 / 6.00 Thomas Kovacs
Professor
Geography and Geology
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
0.13

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
18.08

An inventory of food and beverage purchases that qualify as sustainably/ethically produced:
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):
Invoices were compiled for March and September 2018, and each item purchased is recorded in the STARS Food and Beverage Purchasing Inventory model. Vendors were contacted directly to ask which of their food and beverage products fell within the parameters set by AASHE STARS for either local or third party verified criteria. The two months selected account for seasonal variation, as September is a bountiful produce season in which EMU's campus is serving students in dining locations, and March is exactly six months after, in a very poor growing season during which our service numbers are similar. Thus, these months provide an even representation of locally-purchased items.

If reporting Real/Good Food Calculator results, provide:

Website URL where the institution’s validated Real/Good Food Calculator results are publicly posted:
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Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the inventory/assessment?:
Present? Included?
Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution No No
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor Yes Yes
Student-run food/catering services No No
Franchises (e.g., regional or global brands) Yes Yes
Convenience stores Yes Yes
Vending services No No
Concessions Yes Yes

Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
$10 million or more

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
We purchase produce locally when it is in season. Additionally, we participate in the Farm to Freezer program, in which we purchase Michigan and other locally-produced fruits and vegetables that are flash frozen at their time of harvest to retain nutrients and can last and be served past their seasonality.

Additionally, we have a few examples of third-party verified items; such as the purchase of cage-free shell eggs and Fair Food Program tomatoes.

We embrace the Menus of Change program from the Culinary Institute of America by participating in plant-forward menuing.

Website URL where information about the food and beverage purchasing program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data was compiled by a sustainability intern working for the university dining services vender, Chartwells in 2018. Our STARS report was to be submitted in the 2019-2020 academic year, but COVID caused our STARS submission to be delayed. The intern and her supervisor are no longer at EMU so that 2018 is the most recent inventory we have.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.